Nationals blow late lead & have late-game managerial miscue, bases-loaded walk cost them in 4-3 extra-innings loss to D-backs...

Washington Nationals’ right-hander Ryan Madson gave up three singles and one run in the eighth as the Arizona Diamondbacks rallied to tie the second of three in D.C. up at 3-3, and after a premature substitution on the mound with two on and one out in the tenth, which saw Davey Martinez go for a righty on righty matchup with Austin Adams vs Chris Owings only to learn that Owings was never officially announced, Adams walked Jarrod Dyson to load’em up with one out, and walked A.J. Pollock to force in the go-ahead run, 4-3 AZ.

Hellboy vs D-backs: In start No. 2 of 2018 for the Nationals, 31-year-old right-hander Jeremy Hellickson held the Los Angeles Dodgers to three hits, two walks, and three runs, all earned, over 5 ¹⁄₃ innings pitched. Will he bring some stability to the back of the Nationals’ rotation?

“Jeremy has been through the battles before,” Nationals’ GM Mike Rizzo told 106.7 the FAN in D.C.’s The Sports Junkies this week. “He’s a veteran, a young veteran, but he’s a veteran of a lot of seasons. He knows himself, he’s knows what type of pitcher he is. You saw the type of guy he is. He’s a touch, feel, finesse right-handed pitcher that has to sink the baseball and spin the breaking ball.”

Hellickson was efficient early with the Diamondbacks swinging early in the count, and he got through three on 24 pitches, but gave up a solo shot to left on an 0-1 curve he left up for David Peralta, who hit a solo shot to left field to get Arizona on the board, down 2-1 in the second of three in D.C.

It was a 2-2 game in the sixth after Peralta hit a 2-1 slider to right and into the second deck for his second home run of the game and fifth of the season.

Hellickson was done for the day after recording one out in the sixth on his 57th pitch.

Jeremy Hellickson’s Line: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 2 HRs, 57 P, 43 S, 7/5 GO/FO.

Nats vs Corbin: Coming into today’s matchup, D-backs’ lefty Patrick Corbin was (4-0) in five starts with a 1.89 ERA, 2.00 FIP, six walks (1.62 BB/9), 48 Ks (12.96 K/9), and a .138/.182/.228 line against in 33 ¹⁄₃ innings pitched. He was going up against a Nationals’ team that had a tough .209/.300/.316 line against, which had them ranked 15th/11th/14th across the line in the National League.

Corbin tossed two scoreless on 20 pitches to start, and had two outs in the third when he issued his first walk, to Trea Turner, who stole second base with Ryan Zimmerman up and scored when Zimmerman hit a 1-1 fastball out to right-center for a two-run blast, 2-0 Nats early.

Adrian Sanchez went down for a 1-2 slider low in the zone and golfed it out to center for a leadoff double in the Nationals’ fifth, then took third running aggressively on a ground ball to third off Pedro Severino’s bat, taking off as soon as Daniel Descalso threw to first base, but he was stranded there.

Howie Kendrick hit the second homer of the game off Corbin with two out in the sixth on a 2-2 slider that went out to left to put the Nationals back on top after the D-backs had rallied to tie it in the top of the sixth. 3-2 Nationals.

Pedro Severino and pinch hitter Wilmer Difo hit back-to-back singles off Corbin in the first two at bats of the Nats’ seventh, but he got a double play on his 85th and final pitch of the afternoon, and right-hander Fernando Salas stranded Severino at third to keep it a one-run game after seven.

Patrick Corbin’s Line: 6.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 Ks, 2 HRs, 85 P, 62 S, 8/1 GO/FO.

Two-spot Zimmerman: Ryan Zimmerman went 1 for 5 last night against Arizona, leaving him with a .188/.258/.365 line after 93 plate appearances this season, most of them as the Nats’ cleanup hitter, but Davey Martinez decided to put him in the two-spot this afternoon, telling reporters he hoped it would take some pressure off the veteran first baseman and hopefully get him some fastballs hitting in front of Bryce Harper.

“Just want to get him up there and get him relaxed a little bit. Just go up there and swing the bat. He was all for it,” Martinez explained, as quoted by MASN’s Byron Kerr before the game today.

In his first opportunity with a runner in scoring position this afternoon, Zimmerman hit a 94 mph 1-1 fastball from Corbin out to center field for a two-run blast after Trea Turner walked with two down and stole second in front of him. 2-0 Nationals. Zim’s 4th.

Howie Kendrick, who started the day with a five-game hit streak, over which he was 8 for 17 (.471 AVG) with three doubles and a home run, moved into the cleanup spot, swapping with Zimmerman, and extended his streak to six-straight when he hit a 2-2 slider from Corbin out to left for a go-ahead home run in the sixth that made it 3-2 Nationals. Kendrick’s 4th homer of 2018.

BULLPEN ACTION: Trevor Gott got two outs with seven pitches to keep it tied at 2-2 after five and a half.

Brandon Kintzler got the seventh after Kendrick’s home run put the Nationalss up by a run, 3-2, and the sinker-balling righty retired the D-backs in order in a 12-pitch frame.

Fernando Salas finished off the seventh for the Diamondbacks, stranding an inherited runner at third base.

Ryan Madson took over for the Nationals in the top of the eighth, and gave up a leadoff hit to right by Nick Ahmed, and a one-out single by Peralta that sent Ahmed around to third.

Madson got a fly to left from Jarrod Dyson for the second out of the inning, but A.J. Pollock tied it up with a two-out RBI single to left, 3-3.

Archie Bradley retired the Nationals in order on six pitches in the bottom of the eighth.

Nationals drop series opener to D-Backs, 5-4 final in D.C.:

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

LINK: Nationals fall to 3-8 at home after 5-4 loss to D-backs in D.C.

Sean Doolittle retired the D-backs in order on 13 pitches in the top of the ninth to give the Nationals an opportunity to walk off with a win.

Yoshihisa Hirano retired the Nationals in order in the ninth to send it to extras, however.

Sammy Solis gave up a leadoff double by Nick Ahmed on a first-pitch change in the top of the tenth that Ahmed hit to right-center.

One out later, a walk to David Peralta ended Solis’s outing, and righty Austin L. Adams came on to face pinch hitter Chris Owings... or so Davey Martinez thought.

Owings was never announced, and lefty Jarrod Dyson stepped in with runners on first and second and walked to load the bases in front of A.J. Pollock, who got to a full count, and walked to force in the go-ahead run. Carlos Torres took over and kept it 4-3 with two quick outs, but the damage was done.

Brad Boxberger retired two then gave up a Ryan Zimmerman double. Arizona walked Bryce Harper to get to Howie Kendrick, who got up 3-0 and walked to load the bases, but Michael A. Taylor grounded into a force at second to end it. Ballgame.

Final Score: 4-3 Diamondbacks

Nationals now 11-16